Method of applying ribs to storage-battery separators.



H. L. BOYER.

METHOD 0F APPLYNG RIBS T0 STORAGE BATTERY SEPARATORS.

APPLICATTON FILED JULY 5| 1915.

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` ,METHOD 0F APPLYIING RIBS T0 STORAGE BATTERY SEPARATORS.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 6.19I5.

1,297,643, PaIentedMarl 18,1919.

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' Nrrn sfrafrns PATENT Prion.-

HARRY L. BOYER, 0F TRENTON, NEW'JERSEY.

METHOD 0F APPLYING- RIBS TQ STORAGE-BATTERY SEPARATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application mea July e, 1915. serial No. 38,065.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. BOYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement' in Methods of Applying Ribs to Storage-Battery Separators, of which the following is a full,.clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a method of applying ribs to storage battery separators 'formed wholly or partially of rubber, celluloid or other material of which separators are or may be formed.

Storage battery separators generally used in storage batteries are of three types, viz: the plain 0r vflat type, the corrugated type and the ribbed type. When the rib separators are formed from certain material, such as rubber and celluloid, it is essential or desirable that the ribs be applied to the flat separators and secured thereto by a cementing or vulcanizing process.V

The methods in use at the present time for applying ribs to separators are slow and tedious, and in view of the timeand labor involved add much to theV cost of the separators. For example, it is customary at the present time to apply ribs to rubber separators by placing strips of rubber previously cut to proper length in parallel grooves of one-half of a vulcanizing mold, and then placing the upper half of the mold containmg the rubber separator down onto the lower half so that the separator will bear against the upper sides or faces ofthe ribs. Then the mold is placed in a vulcanizer for the purpose of curing the ribs and causin them to adhere to the separator.

In producing Celluloid separators, celluloid strips previously cut to the Proper size and length are applied to the Celluloid separator one at a time. In doing this the provide a method of ribbing separators, or of applying ribs thereto, which is much faster and less expensiveV than vthe methods in use heretofore, and which produces results equally or more satisfactory than the present methods.

With my improved method, the necessity of separately handling or applying the ribs is eliminated, and at the same time the ribs are applied vrapidly and effectively. This is accomplished in the preferred manner of carrying out my invention by attaching or applying adhesive rib-forming strips supplied in suitably spaced parallel rows, to a series of at separators, which, in the event rubber separators are being ribbed, can subsequently be placed in a vulcanizer to cure the ribs and cause them to be permanently and integrally united to the body of the separator. I Y Preferably the ribs are applied by simultaneously feeding the rib-forming strips and the flat separators between pressure devices which may be and preferably are rolls which press or squeeze the strips onto the separators and space or guide the strips in such a way that when applied tothe separators they will be the proper distance apart and will be properly positioned on the separators. v

Although the novel features of my invention may be carried out in numerous specifically 4different ways, and with different forms ofV .machines or apparatus, in the drawings I have shown somewhat conventionally one form of apparatus which may be used with high efficiency, and in the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus with parts broken away and in section; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectiom substantially along the line 3 3 0f Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective View looking toward the discharge or rear side of the pressure rolls; and Fig. 5 is a view of apart of the machine showing a modification in the means for applying the rib material, this construction or manner of supplying the rib material being preferred when rib material other than unvulcanized rubber is employed The rib-forming strips which-are applied to the flat separators to form ribs` may be made into strips or strands either bybeing first rolled into sheets and cu t into strips, or material from which the strlps are are formed of rubber.

formed may be put into a machine "and squirted throu h dies, this latter method beling particular y efficacious when the ribs The machine here shown is employed in connection with strips which are squirted through dies which may form a part of a regula-r rubber squirting machine which forms no part of the present invention and is not illustrated.

While the stripsshown 'at 10 are being squirted they are allowed to accumulate in piles 11 and are kept from sticking together by being dusted with a powder or common flour, it being understood that, as in this instance, when the strips are formed from rubber' adapted to be applied to rubber separators, the rubber will be in sticky unvulcanized condition. After a suiicient amount of strips or strands have been squirted, they are placed under the mav chine here shown on shelves 12,.each one in The strips 10 pass on vdown the belt which runs around the drum 13 and also around a Y second suitably positioned drum 15, and

thence the strips passl around a ro1ler16 having peripheral grooves of the proper shape and a Vproper distance apart. While the i strlps pass over or around this roller 16,

they pass undera second roller 17 coveredA with felt, which roller is hollow and is supplied'with gasolene from a suitable source such as shown at 18, the gasolene being permitted to pass from the interior of the roller through openings so as to saturate the felt covering. The gasolene wets the strands or strips just before they are applied to the iiat separators and makes the material sticky and very adhesive.

Beneath the roller 16 is a which is preferably of the size of the upper roller 16 and is spaced from the latter substantially the thickness of the fiat/separators to which the stripsl are to be applied to form the ribs. These flat separators 20, a number of which are shown in Fig. 1, are fed preferably continuously, or one after another, between the rolls 16 and 19, and as they are fed through the rolls the adhesive rib-forming strips 10 are pressed or squeezed down onto the separators and causedto adhere thereto, the strips being applied in parallel rows to the separators. l

The separators may be fed automatically or they may be fed by hand between the rolls 16 and 19, there being shown in this instance a feeding table or platform 21 just in advance of the rolls, this feeding table having along its sides guides 22 between which ycause the latter to be knitted Ato the separators.

second roller 19,

arators now ribbed and thus fastened together vby the rib-forming strips pass through the machine they will be separated or cut .apart by cutting the strips between the sep-'i arators, and in the event that rubber separators are being ribbed, they will be placed in a vulcanizer so as to cure the ribs and or vulcanized The various rolls and drums'for the belts may be driven by power, as is obvious, but

in this instance the shaft for the drum 19 is provided with a hand crank 26. From this drum movement is transmitted through a belt 27 to one of two drums 28 about which the belt 24 passes, and movement is transmitted from the drum 19 to the drum 16 by gears 2,9. From the drum 16. movement is transmitted by a belt 30 tothe drum 15 about which the belt 14 passes. This methodof driving is shown for convenience of the description and illustration and may be modi# iied in any desired way. The method above described and the ap-y paratus illustrated in the drawings are adapted particularly for applying` unvulcanized rubber strips to rubber separators. It may be possible to employ rubber strips whichv are vulcanized instead of unvulcanized, and in this'event the strips may be placed on reels 31 and may be drawn therefrom onto the belt 14, as shown in Fig. 5, it being understood thatl the strips will be coated with a suitable rubber cement while passing around -the roll 16.. It may be mentioned at this point that when the rib-forming strips or strands consist of unvulcanized rubber they arefed onto the belt 14 from the piles 11 instead of from reels, because the unvulcanizedL strips have practically no tensile strength and might be pulled apart if drawn from reels.

In applyin celluloid strips to celluloid separators su stantially the same method above described will be carried out. Ribf very sticky and highly adhesive, so that when the spirit or principal features of the invention, and I, therefore, do not desire to be confined to the exact details herein disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. The method of applying ribs to separators, w hich comprises attaching rib material in the form of strips ontov a-series of separators, and severing the strips between the separators.

2. The method of providing ribs on fiat storage battery separators, which comprises feeding separators along a path, and applying rib-forming material 1n the form of continuous strips in parallel rowsl successively onto a plurality of the moving separators.

3. The method of applying ribsl to separato-rs, w-hich comprises applying and pressing adhesive rib-forming material in'the form of long strips in parallel rows onto a number of separators and severing the strips between the separators.

4. The method of4 applyingl ribs to separators, which comprises applying and pressing rows of rib-forming material in the form of long stri s onto a number of separators, and severingl the strips between the separators.

5. Themethod of applying ribs to separators, which comprises feeding a number -of separators along a path, and while said separatorsnare in motion pressing parallel rows of continuous adhesive rib-forming material successively onto a plurality .of the separators.

6. Thelmethod of applying -ri'bs to separators, which comprises simultaneously feedin the drawings for ing flat separators and rib-forming material in the form of continuous parallel strips and causing the strips to be pressed successively onto a plurality of the separators so as to adhere thereto. y

7. The method of applying ribs to sepaf rators, which comprises simultaneously feeding flat separators and rib-forming material in the form of strips and causing the strips to be Ipressed onto the separators so as to adhere thereto, and severing the strips between 'the separators.

8. The method of applying ribs'to separators, which comprises feeding adhesive rib-forming material in the form of continuous parallel strips successively onto a` plurality of moving separators.

9. vThe method of applying ribs to separators, which comprises feeding rib-forming material in the form of Istrips onto a series of moving separators, and applying a Substance to said strips just before they engage the separators so as to make the strips adhesive.

l0. The method of applying ribs toV sep-ara'tors, which comprises carryingrib-forming material in the form of continuous parallel strips along one path, feeding separators along another lpa't-h and at a given point causingl the strips to be attached to` a plurality of the moving separators.

11. The method of applying ribs rto separators, which comprises feeding and guiding along a given path rib-forming material in the! form of. strips in parallel rows with the strips predetermined distances apart, feeding separators along a given path, applying a substance to the strips so as to render them adhesive, pressing the moving strips onto the moving separators, and severing the strips between the separators.

12. The method of applying ribs 'to rubber storage battery separators, which comprises attaching'unvulcanized rubber in the form of long strips onto a series of separators and severing the strips between the separators. Y

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

'HARRY L; Borsa 

